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Summary

A curvilinear tin openwork extending from SX 59246620 on the River Plym to SX 59646642 on the western flank of Giant's Hill. The length of openwork within the monument survives as a 5 metre deep and 20 metre wide steep sided gully. The openwork was formed by opencast quarrying for tin ore. On the south side of the openwork are a series of much narrower and shallower gullies. These probably represent the remnants of prospecting trenches excavated with the aid of running water.
Both the openwork and the prospecting features are more recent than the fields associated with the settlement at Shavercombe Foot.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1015745: Historic settlement, fields and tin openwork at Shavercombe Foot 400m north of Shavercombe Tor

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX56NE305
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1362143
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX56NE/614
• Old SAM Ref Revised: 24228
• Old SAM Ref: 24288(P)

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• EXTRACTIVE PIT (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))
• GULLY (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))
• LEAT (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))
• OPEN CUT (Post Medieval to Early 20th Century - 1540 AD to 1901 AD (Between))

Full description

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 140522, (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

This part of a tin openwork and several prospecting features are situated on the northern side of the Shavercombe Brook. The length of openwork within the monument survives as a 5 metre deep and 20 metre wide steep sided gully. The openwork was formed by opencast quarrying for tin ore. On the south side of the openwork are a series of much narrower and shallower gullies. These probably represent the remnants of prospecting trenches excavated with the aid of running water.
Both the openwork and the prospecting features are more recent than the fields associated with the settlement at Shavercombe Foot.

Robertson, J. G., 1994, The Archaeology of the Upper Plym Valley (Post-Graduate Thesis). SDV139549.

Tinworkings depicted and described by Robertson.

National Trust and English Heritage, 1994, The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape, 275-6/102.990 (Report - non-specific). SDV166309.

Gully at SX5966 6638 to SX5923 6662. Wide, deep gully extending from River Plym at the confluence with Shavercombe Brook. It is similar to and on the same orientation as the other gullies to the south-west. This gully is longer and deeper and has a complex arrangement of side gullies extending out both sides. It also seems to more directly follow a water course and in the lower part, at least, has some evidence of waste heaps. It seems to be a product of tin streaming, though its south-east extension may be more of an openwork.
At the south-eastern end it cuts through a leat (monument 520). However, as the leat disappears in marshy ground immediately either side of this gully, it is suggested that the leat was not directly breached by the gully. Further south, the leat kinks around to avoid the gully (monument 984) which suggests that the leat post-dates that gully and the same may be the case here; it may have been carried across on a launder. The gully truncates north-east side of a field (monument 992), which is associated with a building thought to be inhabited in the 19th century. However, the field and longhouse may have been constructed much earlier, and the field could have been out of use by the 19th century occupation.
Dimensions: 560 metres by 20 metres by 3.5 metres deep.

Probert, S. A. J. + Fletcher, M. J., 2002, Plym Valley survey (Report - Survey). SDV350782.

(05/02/2002) Centred SX 59486645. A curvilinear tin openwork extending from SX 59246620 on the River Plym to SX 59646642 on thewestern flank of Giant's Hill. The working consists of a steep-sided trench between 7.5 and 20m wide and up to 5m deep. Flanking this are a number of, now dry, leat channels which formerly fed parts of the working or provided drainage. In several places the working is flanked by spoil heaps, unusual for this type of operation. There are no associated structures though the working itself and some of the surrounding features have been reused as later field boundaries.

GeoInformation Group Ltd, 2010, 1:625 2010 Colour (12.5cm resolution) (Aerial Photograph). SDV346026.

Gully is visible on the aerial photography. Map object based on this source.

Ordnance Survey, 2015, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV357601.

Part of the open work is depicted on the modern mapping. Map object based on this source.

English Heritage, 2015, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV357602.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV8148 - The Upper Plym Valley: The Management of an Historic Landscape
• EDV8155 - Plym Valley Survey: EH Project (Feb 2001 - Dec 2002)

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.